10th March 2017
Today is our final day in Singapore before
flying off to Colombo at 3.20pm this afternoon.
After breakfast we set out on foot for the
harbour front, where the Marina Sands Casino and Gardens by the Bay are
located. Once again the weather is mild, with temperatures in the high 20’s and
the humidity a bit sticky, but not too high.
Architecturally, the whole harbourfront
complex is quite stunning, with the Hotel and Casino dominating the Skyline,
but many other surrounding buildings very impressive.
Helix Bridge leading to the Sands Complex (all stainless steel)
Last time we were in Singapore, The Gardens
by the Bay Project was only half completed, but now finished, it adds yet
another major attraction to the area. Composed of acres of lush tropical
gardens, stunning glass houses, waterways and large metal flower sculptures
that are lit at night, it has now become a major tourist attraction.
Gardens by the Bay
The best view of Singapore is from the
Skygarden at the top of the Hotel/Casino building, with access via a high speed
and very quiet lift. The view is hard to beat
and it provides Sharon and John with a great overview of the areas we
visited yesterday.
Water feature inside the Marina Sands Complex
Walkway between the 3 towers of the Sands Building
Viewing Area on the Skygarden
Skygarden Area for Hotel Guests, including their pool
Looking towards Raffles City (tall silver builing on the right). The Singapore Recreation Club is just below it on the Padang (the green area). The white building at the other end of the Padang is the Cricket Club.
Sightseeing completed, we strolled back to
the Recreation Club for a 12 noon checkout and taxi ride to Changi Airport to
catch our flight to Colombo. We are flying with Sri Lanka Airlines which will
be a new experience for all of us. The flight time is 3 hours and 50 minutes.
The stroll back to the Recreation Club
Check in at Changi is smooth as silk except
for Sharon who seemed to out smart the
thumbprint identification system, and had to be processed manually. Of course
the whole check in process took very little time, so we found ourselves with
plenty of time on our hands to have a walk around and some local food for
lunch.
The flight left on time, and whilst the
plane was showing it’s age a little, it was a pleasant flight with good in
flight service and a few malfunctions in the video/audio equipment.
As we approached Colombo, we went through
the edge of an electrical storm and had a bit of a bumpy ride in before a
smooth landing. The airport is not that large for the major airport in Sri
Lanka. There is a lot of work going on the resurface the runway, resulting in
the airport being closed from 8.30 am till 4.30 pm each day until the work is
completed (end March). All of the incoming planes have 8 hours less to plan
their arrivals, so there was more incoming traffic than normal.
Immigration clearance was quite quick and
trouble free, however, there was a very long wait for baggage. I think thte
handlers may have been trained in Australia !
Once we cleared customs, our driver for the
time we will e here was there to greet us, and the heavens opened to welcome us
to Sri Lanka. We managed to get some local currency from an ATM in arrivals,
and managed to get to the car pick up point without getting too wet.
The drive into Colombo gave us our first
close up view of Sri Lanka. The landscape is a bit reminiscent of the outskirts
of KL in the early 80’s, especially the area around Port Kelang. There more
swamp and less development, but it looks very familiar.
As we approach Colombo, the traffic turns
chaotic (Friday peak hour and it is raining), and the density of development
increases rapidly. We are told that Colombo has a population of 2 million, and
Sri Lanka a total of 22 million.
The streets are lines with little
shophouses, roadside mechanics etc, just as you would see in any developing
Asian Country, but Sri Lanka appears to be in the early stages of that
development.
Our Hotel is located in the old part of
town, not far from the original settlement and near the financial district. By
now it is getting dark, so we will have to wait till tomorrow to get a good
vies, but The Galle Face Hotel is an old hotel in the style of Raffles in
Singapore and has a similar status in Colombo.
As we arrive, there is a wedding underway
and the driveway is very crowded with people attending, and a horse drawn carriage.
To add to the intrigue, as we are checking in, two Sri Lankans playing the
bagpipes !!!, escort the bride to the reception area.
The hotel is huge, and the rooms very
generous and extremely comfortable.
It is soon time to think about food again,
and we decide that something light will be enough, so we gravitate to the
Poolside Bar where light snacks are served. By now the rain has stopped and it
is a pleasant evening. The pool and bar are located right on the beachfront, so
we sat down enjoying a few cool refreshments and some local snacks watching the
waves break on the beach about 50 metres away.
Everyone is tired and we are in bed by
10.30am, looking forward to our morning tour of Colombo tomorrow.
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